Guiding you through our learning activities

What are the learning pathways for?

Every year the Academy – part of the Human Resources Department (HDPO) – offers over 200 courses, lectures and events in various languages, focused on professional development from building knowledge on international topics to diplomatic skills and behaviour. The activities are designed for Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BZ) staff and other central government staff in international roles, providing opportunities for them to learn and develop and to contribute to BZ’s organisations goals. ‘There are so many learning activities to choose from that we decided to create learning pathways, to guide you through our full range of activities. Each pathway focuses on development within specific roles,’ Jan Willem Naphegyi-Schouw, senior learning and development adviser at the Academy, explains.

Getting started

‘We want our approach to tie in with people’s actual work, so we spoke to staff in a range of job groups,’ says Babet Mooij, who is also a senior learning and development adviser. ‘Colleagues find it helpful and worthwhile to talk about learning and their own experiences. In those talks we found out more about what their jobs actually involve and how they acquire knowledge and skills. This provided us with valuable insights.’

Personal growth

‘The goal was to create a learning environment that offers training in essential skills for each team or individual, while also tailoring for personal and professional growth and each staff member’s unique needs and ambitions,’ says Jan Willem. ‘Learning is much more than taking part in a course or training session. Colleagues can learn from each other and with each other. The learning pathways have been a real game-changer in terms of how we enable professional development,’ he adds enthusiastically.

Compass

Learning pathways are not just a helpful tool for individual staff members. They are also indispensable for managers to steer development within their teams. Babet: ‘A learning pathway helps you navigate through all the logical and relevant learning activities that are suitable for your job group. Thanks to our learning pathways you now have a clear overview of all the formal and informal learning activities that are relevant to a job group.’

Feedback

‘The content of the learning pathway was suggested by staff in the relevant job groups. After all, they have the best idea of what their work involves and what they need. It was a great way to ensure the pathways are truly relevant and based in practice,’ Jan Willem says. Babet explains that the Academy set up the first learning pathways three years ago, for country officers and management assistants. ‘Staff in these job groups appreciate the clarity offered by the learning pathways. They now have a good idea of what they need for their development and that makes a real difference,’ she says. ‘“If only I’d known sooner,” is something we often hear people say.’

Responsibility

‘It was important to find an “owner” who keeps the pathways active and up-to-date. Staff from the various job groups are the best judge of what they need. So we maintain an ongoing dialogue with them. That’s how we share responsibility for effective learning pathways,’ Jan Willem sets out.

Personal learning needs

‘The good thing about a learning pathway is that you can make personal choices based on specific learning needs,’ Babet continues. ‘The path you follow may be different to that of a colleague who has the same job. The most important thing to remember is that a learning pathway is designed to promote development within your current job.’

Getting started with a learning pathway

The Academy offers learning pathways for various job groups, including:

• Learning pathway for advisers
• Learning pathway for economic section policy officers
• Learning pathway for development cooperation policy officers
• Learning pathway for financial roles
• Learning pathway for country officers
• Learning pathway for management assistants
• Learning pathway for operational managers and middle and higher management roles

The learning pathway for consular officers is part of Comma, the consular training programme.

After logging in to the Academy’s new learning portal, you can see all the available learning pathways and the learning activities linked to each of them.

The learning pathway that best suits your job is automatically shown in your profile. Take a look to find out more about what a learning pathway is, how it’s structured and how it can help you decide what you want to learn.

Go to our website to find out more about what we do, our team and BZ as a learning organisation. Staff and managers alike can also make an appointment for a training consultation session with a learning adviser. We can also refer you to our colleagues in the Human Resources Department for career advice or to the HR advisers for staff members.